Paxton Marley
by angee1011
Summary: Paxton Marley broke the Unexcusable Law. But did he? After a hundred years in exile, he rejoins Vampire Society. While on probation, he meets a human girl named Nina Gordan. She looks just like his deceased sister, but could she really be...?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Paxton Marley had just stood before the Judge to proclaim his allegiance to the Vampire Head Council. Long ago, he had done something. It was something so frowned upon in Vampire Society that it was hushed up. Of course, everyone knows he did something so wrong that the Council had to punish him. When he entered the chambers, he got many dirty looks. Others' facial expressions filled with fear. Why did they fear him? He knew. His allegiance was something no one had counted on. He was just a criminal to them.

Sitting in a green antique chair, Paxton looked around the room. He saw many figureheads of the Council. They were discussing letting him into vampire society once again. He had broken vampire law. The punishment had been served. For the last hundred years, he remained alone in exile. There was no one he could talk to. Now, his punishment was over. It was up to the Council, however, to decide whether he could be trusted enough to allow him into vampire society once again.

The Head Council Chambers looked, as always, in the style of Victorian America. It was in that time the Vampires crossed over from Europe. Two staircases on either side of the room led to a balcony above the main floor. The balcony circled the room. Paxton looked up at the balcony and saw the many bookcases that surrounded it. Memories flashed through his mind and he cringed with distress. He didn't like this place.

Someone coughed and he looked in front of him at the man in black robes.

"Marley, we have come to a decision," declared the Judge, Andrew Barnley. The room quieted down, at once; and stared at him.

"And what decision would that be?"

"We've decided you may stay at the Home. You may appear at meetings only if invited, and you may converse with fellow vampires. However, you are not permitted to take part in any politics. You cannot be trusted." The Judge looked around to see if anyone disagreed with the terms. Everyone appeared to agree. "Do you agree to the terms, Paxton Marley?"

"And if I don't?"

"You can go back into solitude."

"Then, I agree," He sighed, "to your ludicrous terms." That made several people laugh. Despite their fear, they found him humorous.

"Good. Now, the meeting is adjourned. Marley, please proceed to discuss your living arrangements at the Home with Abigail, here." He pointed to the immortal beauty at his left. Her gentle, curly auburn hair was slightly pulled up; her eyes, the color green. She was petite, but stood like a soldier.

"Abigail, it has been a long, long time."

"Do not remind me. I rather wished to see you burned at the Stake, Marley," she sneered.

"Oh, Abby, I've missed you," he laughed.

"I bet you have. They always do," She sighed and went on, "anyway, you need to follow me. I will not be getting tortured with holy water because you neglected to listen. Now, again, follow." She turned around; started walking down the aisles; and flew down a flight of stairs. He followed with the sense that everything was about to change.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"Mom, I'm headed out. Is there anything you need?" Nina asked as she paused at the door to the garage. She was about to go for a run. It was something she did daily.

"No, honey, I think I'll be fine. Enjoy yourself, and don't stay out too late," replied Charlotte Gordan, her mother. Nina's mother looked a lot like her. Both had the same thick, curly brown hair, the same blue eyes, and the same face structure. People said her mother was beautiful. Did that mean that she was, too? Of course, friends and family said that; but they didn't count.

The sky had had overcast all day. It was obvious it was about to rain. Nina could smell it coming. The heaviness in the air gave it away. The pressure. Sometimes, that feeling made her run faster and faster.

The route she had taken all year was easy to follow. First, Nina would turn left from her house, run for about a mile; then, turn right onto Dazzle Street; and finally hit the park after about four miles. The park was a lovely place. She liked to stay there for about a half hour after running to cool down. The neighborhood kids liked to come swing, slide, and play in the sandbox. Nina had memories here of when she was kid.

Today, however, there were no kids at the park. Their parents probably feared the storm. It was rather eerie being at the park alone. Nina did not like it. Instead of staying a full half hour, she decided to head home early for two reasons. The storm was one reason, and the eerie feeling was the other.

Nina rose from the swing she had been in, and started back toward her house. The sky started to thunder, and rain pounded down on her head. Nina ran harder, so she could make it home. It was getting darker. The sky looked unnatural. Up ahead, she could see the turn-off for the mile left from her house. Soon, she would be out of the cold rain and in her nice, warm shower.

Out of nowhere, there was a hand on her arm, forcing her back. Another hand closed around her eyes, and she gasped. There was pressure against her neck and a pinch. _It hurts_, Nina thought. Frozen, she tried to think through what to do. All that came to mind was to run, so that was what Nina tried. In full blast, she sprang forward; but the stranger was faster, which was a surprise. No one was faster than Nina. He grabbed a hold of Nina and dragged her into the nearby forest. Probably, so no one would see him terrorizing her. She tried to fight him off. A rusty smell filled the air and blood slithered down her arm from her neck. Why was she bleeding? Nina didn't know.

The stranger growled at her. Actually growled. Who was he? Nina tried to get a glimpse of his face. No luck. It had become too dark from the clouds. The stranger froze. Nina had no idea why. With one last punch against his chest, Nina quit. It was useless. She was captured.

"Who are you?" she questioned. Instead of answering her, he clasped his hand around her mouth and nose, making it difficult to breathe. Nina was sure he was trying to kill her. Then, the lights went out and Nina was gone.

* * *

Nina thought she had died. At least, she didn't think she was going to survive being attacked from some random stranger. Oh well, it didn't matter anymore. She was still alive; that's all that really mattered.

As far as she could tell, she was lying on a huge, comfortable bed; and it was completely dark in the room she was in. There was a window to the right of the bed; the curtains were drawn and the night sky visible. _It's probably been hours since the storm_, she thought. The room was small but livable.

There was a creak and Nina propped up on her elbows and saw a man in the corner at the left side of the bed. She felt a stab of fear, for the man was staring at her murderously, as if he wanted to strangle her to death. Realization settled in, this man had attacked her. Nina screamed.

Her scream was cut short because her attacker was there covering her mouth once more.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He whispered angrily, his mouth at her left ear. His voice was deep and held a faint accent that she couldn't quite figure out. He lifted his hand cautiously to make she did not scream again, and he went back to his corner. Nina sat up and moved her legs over the bed's edge.

"You…I…the forest…I thought…," her voiced trailed off.

"Oh, that. Yes, I am sorry about that. I didn't know…I didn't know." He was apologizing. Did killers do that? He was staring again in the same way as before.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Nina asked. Something in her voice made him smile a terrible smile that made her anxious. It reminded her of a snake skulking back to catch its prey. "Staring in what way exactly?" He answered her question with a question. Nina hated when people did that.

"You're staring at me like you want to kill me very slowly and painfully."

"I wouldn't kill you. Even if I wanted to." He said it as if he meant it.

"Now, that's reassuring," she replied sarcastically. The stranger got up and stood at the window, looking up the sky.

Surprising Nina, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Didn't you try to kill me? Why should I tell you anything?" The hostility in her tone was obvious.

"Because if you don't, I very well might kill you."

"But you said you wouldn't."

"Yes, I did. However, I made no promises. So, you see: I might kill you; I might not, it all depends on you."

"Fine," she sighed, "My name is Nina Gordan."

"Nina? That's weird. What's your middle name?"

"Why? What's your middle name?" she retorted mockingly.

"I cannot believe my manners," the stranger whispered. His face turned grim that second and he stood up. Nina wanted to know what he was doing, but he was already out the door before she could ask.

Acting on instinct, Nina crawled off the bed and crept to the window. She hoped the stranger wouldn't catch her while trying to escape. It was a long shot, but it was the only shot she was going to get.

The window was difficult to budge; but somehow, she managed. It was a short way to the ground. As she tried to get her right leg out the window, the door to the room opened. The stranger walked in sullenly, took one look at the empty bed and then to the window to stop her. But, it was too late. Nina was already climbing down. The stranger looked at her with a discerning look turned away into the room. Nina knew she had won.

She stepped onto the grass and tasted her freedom.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nina gasped, turning around. There stood the stranger. How in the world did he get here this fast?

"I, I was…," she stammered, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She wanted to saw she was getting out of this place, but the sentence wouldn't form.

The stranger took a step toward her. It was obvious he wasn't letting her go without a fight. She backed up to the brick wall of the huge building. Nina had to get out of there.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Nina." That was hard to believe. Nina wanted to believe that she wasn't going to get hurt or worse, but it was just too impossible.

"Why won't you let me go?" she asked. The question seemed harmless enough. Nina had a right to know why she wasn't allowed to leave.

"Why?" the stranger repeated. "Well, I'm not sure."

"You're not sure? What do you mean you're not sure?" Nina challenged.

"Well, like I said, I'm not sure. There's something about you. I'm not sure what, but you look like someone I used to know. And even if I were to let you go, you would probably run home and tell everyone that I kidnapped you," the stranger replied in a quizzical tone.

"Well, you did kidnap me, didn't you? I'm not here of my own free will." she pointed out.

"Quite true. However, I need to you stay with me," the stranger told her. He paused a moment and then continued, "How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" Nina inquired.

"I'll tell you in a minute. First, we must go back to my room." He turned and started walking toward the huge building. It was the first time Nina had gotten a good look at it. It looked like a gothic castle, like one Dracula would live in. She wasn't sure if it had a tower, but it looked as if it might. It was beautiful, but creepy. Nina liked old buildings. They had a lot of history to them. However, this one just gave off the impression, "_Stay away or else_..." She wasn't sure she should follow or try to make another escape.

As if reading her mind, the stranger turned to look at her, giving her a funny look. "Even if you tried to run again, I'd catch you. Now, follow me."

Reluctant, but curious, she followed the stranger. He waited for her to catch up with him, then continued to enter the castle-like building from a side entrance. Inside, there was a long hallway that led to a stairwell. _Hmph, typical for a castle_, she thought. There were paintings of people along the wall of the stairwell. The people were gorgeous, even the men. What was this place?

The stairwell took five minutes to walk up, and it led to another hallway. This hallway, however, had many doors. The stranger walked to the second door on the right. It had some kind of bird in it. He paused before opening the door, contemplating something. Whatever it was he was trying to decide, he didn't seem to care anymore; for he opened the door and walked in. Nina followed him in and waited for him to close the door before she started the questions.

"Okay, we're here. Now, what deal?" the stranger sighed.

"You just get straight to the point, don't you?" Nina didn't want to play games, she just wanted answers. She rolled her eyes at him, and replied, "Yes, I do. What deal?"

"Fine," the stranger sighed again, "If you stay with me for a couple days and help me with research, I'll let you go home." Nina thought about this. How would she explain to her parents where she had been? Would they believe her? Certainly, they would.

"I agree. On one condition," she said, cautiously. The stranger looked at her for a moment, thinking about how to reply.

"What condition?" he asked.

"Tell me your name. If you do, I'll help you," she said. The stranger seemed surprised at her condition, but soon recovered.

"Okay, if I tell you my name, you'll stay? And you won't try to escape again?" He extended his hand to her. She took his hand, and they shook on it.

"So, agreed?" she asked.

"Agreed," the stranger said. Nina looked at him, waiting for him to uphold her one condition.

"My name is Paxton Marley."


End file.
